Shadow Pianist
by dshirochan
Summary: There's a rumored ghost in Kagami's school, a shadow pianist. After accepting a dare, he tries to unmask who the secret pianist is. What's there behind the walls of the music room might not exactly be what he expected though. He's not the only one about to find something. AU Kuroko x Kagami


**AN:** This is my first KnB fic so please be nice. I'm apologizing in advance so forgive the oocness. Just imagine that this happens in some distant and farfetched alternate universe where the characters take on completely different personalities. Reviews will be well appreciated so please please leave one. :)

I'm dedicating this to my bestfriend, LicatoRiku. Visit her account, she's an amazing writer, seriously. Thanks for everything, dude. I owe you a lot. Nope, no dying cancer patient Kuroko here, sorry. Hope this isn't too much of a rip-off for you. (Warning: Don't expect anything amazing if you don't want to get disappointed, my friend) XD

**Disclaimer**: i don't own anything. Credit goes to whoever it belongs to.

**Shadow Pianist**

Kuroko Tetsuya walked along the busy hallway unnoticed. Students of all sorts crowded together to meet up with their friends and share their usual stories of boring lessons and horrible teachers. The hallway was noisy as the young freshman made his way past the sea of peers and seniors, passing by several classrooms filled with other students taking their lunch break. Despite having bright light blue hair and striking light blue eyes, no one noticed the boy walking. He made his way to the music room, just as he always did everyday. Consumed in the novel he was reading, he paid no mind to the people in the corridor. After several minutes of the usual tedious stroll, he reached the room. Light blue jewels scanned the room, taking in the sight of different instruments, old and new, string, wind and brass, gleaming behind glass cases. It was a pleasant sight, one that he found comfort in. Far away from the multitudes of noisy students engrossed in their mindless chatter, Kuroko Tetsuya found his oasis of peace and solitude there in the company of the things that made life worth living for him.

Music was his passion, his hidden talent, his well-kept secret. It was also his refuge, his escape from reality, his friend. Setting down his bag and his novel on the empty chair, he approached his favorite and his most faithful companion. It seemed to be calling him, longing for his touch. Taking the seat in front of his best friend, he ran his fingers on the keys slowly, feeling the smoothness of the ivory and the ebony. He let out a deep sigh, closed his eyes, and played the first notes. A melody of soft tones filled the room, as he played the grand piano the way master painters painted their artworks. It was a sad tune, slow and haunting, and anyone in that same room would have found himself in a lonely forest, snow covering the ground, and tall, thin trees of black shooting up from the white floor, making its way to the equally white sky.

The notes then varied in softness and in loudness, blessing the room with a whirlwind of different pitches and tempos, colors vividly painted in the air through the most incredible sounds. He played accurately and carefully, as though a single mistake could be fatal, and full of emotions and passion. The tips of his fingers did not dare touch the keys for a second more than he was supposed to.

Meanwhile,a tall young man with an impressively muscular build, red spiky hair, split brows and eyes as fiery as the hair on his head, Kagami Taiga stood outside the music room. The melody played softly through the small space between the closed doors and it was enchanting and addicting. He stood there in awe. Whoever was playing inside definitely played exquisitely. This wasn't exactly his type of music for he usually preferred the more lively, upbeat type but this was just too beautiful to not be amazed with. He wouldn't admit it in front of his friends and peers but he did appreciate these kinds of things sometimes.

The red-head knew about the rumor of the ghost in the music room. There was hardly any student in that school who didn't know about it. Stories had spread that some ghost was playing the piano inside the music room. The rumor spread like fire and people would pass by the room during breaks curiously. Some girls had tried to wait outside the door to see if a student would come out but they'd run off once the music started playing. Something about the melody was frightening so no one had ever really tried entering the room to see who the secret pianist was.

Kagami let out a heavy sigh. He asked himself repeatedly, "Should I?", unsure of whether or not he was going to push through with the dare. It was a childish dare, he thought. In the back of his mind, a voice kept telling him that it was stupid and that he was equally stupid for agreeing. He weighted his options carefully. His friends would be waiting for him, eager to know what transpired between him and the mysterious "ghost" pianist. But, opening the doors now and coming in the room would mean that the music would have to stop, probably forever even, and as he continued listening to the variety of notes, he found it harder and harder to stop listening. That was probably why no one had ever found out who the shadow pianist really was; those who had tried before, probably because of a dare as well or just out of pure curiosity, must have found themselves in his situation. Either that or they found something about the music overwhelming.

He glanced at his wristwatch. 12:20. Running his fingers through his messy red hair, he decided he'd stay and just listen. Lunch break would end in 40 minutes and if the pianist was a student, he'd come out the room to go back to class. He thought it was a good plan so after nodding a few times he sat down on the floor and indulged in the collection of do's, re's and mi's. He hadn't noticed that he had already closed his eyes and that his head was casually sway with the music.

Kuroko continued playing fervently. He had heard the shifting footsteps outside the room; someone was out there, waiting, listening. It wasn't anything new to him anymore. He had to admit though that he hadn't expected the one outside to stay as long as he had. Usually, the students would rush outside the room in groups, some anxious, some excited, but they would all disappear when he started playing more intensely. Why they did, he didn't fully understand. He was used to being misunderstood; he was, after all, unnoticeable, a shadow in the background. People had always feared what they didn't understand, and he was something no one could completely understand. He sank even deeper into the harmony of chords as he played more intently, varying the pitch and the tempo of his impromptu more frequently. He stopped briefly, took a deep breath and began to play the _Kesson Daslef._

Kagami felt a sort of heaviness fill his soul. The music echoed in his heart and reverberated in his very soul. In his mind, a vivid scene played. He was in the snowy forest, as the sheets of icy white piled higher and higher around his feet. Above him, the sky turned into the darkest shades of grey. Fierce winds, freezing and harsh, blew against him from the east as he tried to find his way inside the dreary forest. Kagami was the only color in that forest of black and white. He walked this way and that way, pushing the stray branches that blocked his path. He felt lost and there was no way out. He went deeper and deeper through the hidden and desolate parts of the snowy wood, in search of any source of light that unfortunately for him, refused to show itself. He felt more hopeless with every step he took.

"What are you doing?" an unfamiliar voice asked, almost monotonously. The voice sent shivers up his spine. Crimson eyes shot open, meeting light blue orbs, bright as aquamarine jewels. Beads of sweat trickled slowly down his face. Was _he _the shadow pianist? The boy, probably a freshman just like him, looked at him stoically. A heavy unnerving silence wrapped the two of them and Kagami wished he was back in the comfort of music. "What are you doing?" he asked again, staring right at the redhead. Kagami, known for having the ferocity of a tiger, was at a loss for words. Was he so consumed in the music that he hadn't known that it had already ended and that the ghost pianist was already standing in front of him? What the hell? And why the hell did he fell like the desolate forest was reflected in those light blue eyes staring straight at him?

"Who the heck are you?" Kagami asked impolitely, feigning his usual boldness. The pianist's brows twitched slightly, almost unnoticeably. "I asked you a question first," he replied monotonously once more. The redhead stood up slowly from the floor and placed some distance between him and the frail boy. He towered over the pianist in height but the latter remained unfazed. Shifting his sight and looking at anything but _his eyes,_ he answered, "_I was looking for you."_ Dense silence enveloped them again. Kagami waited for the pianist's response but only more silence came. Calmed down, he looked back into those aquamarines and they locked in a stare for what seemed like an eternity.

After a long while, Kuroko offered the taller peer a handshake and Kagami shook the pale hand curiously. "I am a shadow. Kuroko Tetsuya is my name," he stated in a most deadpan way. "Kagami Taiga," he replied, somehow finding it now easier to talk to the strange creature in front of him. He saw something akin to a flicker of hope or of happiness glinting deep within the pianist's eyes. Glancing at his watch, he found that lunch break would be ending in ten minutes and he let out a sigh. "I know it's strange for me to ask but can you play one more time for me?" he asked calmly, looking at the shorter peer as though he had known the young man for a long time. Kuroko shifted his gaze from Kagami to the door leading to the music room. He walked slowly towards it, leaving behind the tall redhead still fixed on the same spot. Maybe he had finally found _his light. _As he turned the knob to open the door, Kuroko asked, "Are you coming?" A small smile graced the redhead's thin lips as he followed the shadow.

**AN:** yeah, how was that? Don't ask me why only Kuroko goes to the music room to play or all the other details about that. I'm leaving that up to you peeps. Also, I don't really know much about music terms and shizz like that ( I know that's strange 'cause I chose to write about it) so if there was anything wrong with the terms, please correct me. Kesson Daslef is a piano piece by the Aphex Twin. Since I don't really know any piano songs and stuff, I had to search and this came up in google so yeah. Again, please please leave a review and tell me what you thought about this. Thanks a bunch for reading!


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